California Food Fight! Yeah!

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Tired of long, drawn-out, dry California political controversies over the budget? Or special funds? Or temporary taxes?

Eager for a political fight you can really sink your teeth into?

Thank goodness for Prop 37.

The November ballot initiative would require that products containing genetically modified foods be labeled as such.

The initiative is backed by some organic companies, environmentalists and activists who are concerned about genetically modified food. It also has a deep-pocketed opposition, including grocery stores, biotech, farmers and other food companies.

With well-funded energetic campaigns on both sides, Prop 37 should produce a real contest -- and plenty of ads about food.

Those ads may or may not make you hungry.

But they certainly should be refreshing -- as a departure from the usual predictable fights about taxes and budgets and union funding that are re-appearing on this ballot.

Yes, an expensive fight over food labeling usually isn't cause for celebration. But in California governance, we learn to take good news when we can get it.

Food fight!

Larry Gerston teaches political science at San Jose State University and is the political analyst for NBC Bay Area.